AN OVERVIEW OF ALGORITHMIC MUSIC COMPOSITION IN THE NOTEWORKS

SOFTWARE PLATFORM
Robert Alexander, John Umbaugh, Patrick Turley
Noteworks Music, USA
www.noteworks.net
noteworksmusic@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Noteworks is music composition software that re-imagines the
way music is created, played, and shared. Users create musical
compositions by building networks and interacting with them in
real time. Noteworks reduces the learning curve for
algorithmic-music composition, such that most individuals with
a basic knowledge of computer interaction can create original
compositions with limited instruction. Dynamic networks have
the potential to play back for hours without repeating. This
document will provide a brief summary overview of the GUI.
1. INTRODUCTION
Noteworks allows the user to write pieces of music that evolve
over time, and features such as stochastic nodes enable the user
to think in terms of probabilities and tendencies. Rather than
creating one composition at a time, a single network can
potentially generate thousands of unique compositions. There
may be several ways in which a chord structure could evolve,
and theoretically a listener could set a network in motion and
allow it to unfold for days without hearing every possible
combination. At any point while the composition is playing
back, the user can begin writing the MIDI data to a file. They
could then import this data into Finale or Sibelius and print out
a piece of sheet music, or into a production platform such as
Logic Studio.
2. JAVA IMPLEMENTATION
Noteworks is written in Java, and as such can be used on a
variety of platforms - including Windows, Mac, and
Linux. Noteworks relies heavily on the Java Swing component
library for the graphical display, and on the Java MIDI library to
render its sound.

The technology behind the sequencing portion of Noteworks is
inspired by time-dynamical recursive neural network models, in
which individual network nodes can be assigned some sort of
musical expression (e.g. a MIDI message, tempo, or some sort
of modification), and the arrows represent temporal
relationships between nodes.

3. NOTEWORKS GUI OVERVIEW
This section will step through the various elements of the
Noteworks interface, explaining each in detail. All musical
composition within Noteworks takes place in a centralized
canvas, and is facilitated through a set of tools. A video tutorial
covering similar material is available at the following URL:
http://robertalexandermusic.com/Noteworks_Demonstration.mov
3.1. Interface Overview

Figure 1: The Noteworks GUI as presented upon initially
loading the software.
1) Top Menu: Here the user can save their composition,
open a saved composition, edit the instruments used
for playback, stop playback completely, export a song
as a MIDI file, and select from a number of additional
advanced options
2) Properties Panel: Allows the user to edit the settings
of a selected node.
3) Empty Canvas: This space is where compositions are
created.
4) Toolbar: These tools are used for playback, node
selection, moving nodes, creating nodes, and drawing
arrows.

ICAD-163
The 16th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD-2010) June 9-15, 2010, Washington, D.C, USA

3.2. Toolbar Elements

Figure 2: Closer inspection of the Noteworks tool set.
1) Node Firing tool: With this tool selected the cursor
turns into a pointing hand. Clicking on a MIDI or
Rest node starts the network in motion.
2) Selection Tool: This tool allows for selecting either a
single node or multiple nodes. When a single node is
selected its attributes will appear in the properties
panel. Click and drag around multiple nodes, then use
the hand grabber tool to move groups of nodes.
3) Grabber Tool: While in this mode, click and drag on
the canvas to adjust your view of the composition.
You can also click and drag on nodes to adjust their
placement. At any time you can zoom in and out by
using the scroll wheel on a two-button mouse or two
fingers on a track pad.
4) Node Creation Tool: Click and hold briefly to reveal a
sub-menu. You can select from 4 different node
types: MIDI (standard instrument), Rest, Chance, and
Echo. Click on a node type to select it, and then click
anywhere on the canvas to add. See the section on
node types for more information.
5) Arrow Drawing Tool With this tool selected, the
user can click and drag from one node to another to
create a connection.
3.3. Node Types

Figure 3: Example of placing a figure with experimental
results.
1) MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
These nodes are at the core of every Noteworks
composition. Within the MIDI properties panel the
user can adjust the note pitch, duration and volume.
The instrument can be changed by switching the node
to a different channel, or by loading up a new
instrument in the edit menu. MIDI nodes will pass an
impulse to all outgoing connections.
2) Rest nodes can be used to delay the transfer of an
impulse from one node to another. Rest nodes will
pass on an impulse to all outgoing connections.
3) A chance node will fire to one of its outlets, which is
picked at random.
4) Echo nodes will repeat whatever note is received, with
the option of transposing this note to a new pitch
and/or adjusting the delay. Echo nodes can be strung
together in sequence to create complete melodic
phrases. Data can be passed between echo nodes and
chance nodes to create stochastic behavior.
4. FUTURE DIRECTION
The addition of sub-networks would enable users to consolidate
large sections of a composition into a single, more-manageable
object. Future node types would also enable compositions to
unfold in a more dynamic manner. Sequential nodes would
switch between all outgoing connections in an ordered fashion;
this would enable the user to create recurring poly-rhythmic
patterns. Interactive nodes would allow input from various
external interfaces, such as a keyboard or MIDI controller.
Audio file playback could be facilitated through an additional
node type, or by sending data to an external sampler or VST
instrument.

The object-oriented interface would readily lend itself to touch-
screen interaction, future versions of the software could be
implemented on the iPhone and iPad platforms. Several
interaction modes could include: free composition, level based
game play, and social compositions constructed by multiple
users in tandem. Early research also indicates strong potential
for Noteworks in the K-12 educational market.























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